Customer Reviews

Knitting In the Sun: 32 Projects for Warm Weather

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yes, I am shallow. Many times, I judge a book by its cover. And I love the cover of this one. It makes me want to make the shawl featured on the cover. So far so good!

Billed as "The first-ever knitting book to offer projects exclusively for warm weather," Knitting in the Sun is divided into categories such as tanks, wraps, bags, and more and features 32 projects for warm weather.

There are several beautiful projects in the book I want to make, which means a thumbs up from me. I especially like and want to knit Santorini, Coronado, and Anacapa (the cover shawl).

While the book includes traditional warm weather fibers like cotton and linen, it also features patterns using the best of newer natural offerings like yarns made of or blended with hemp, bamboo, and soysilk. More than 80 full-color photos showcase these knit projects.

By only real quibble with the book is that there are many patterns that could have been written for circular knitting and few, if any seams that instead are written so each piece is knitting separately and seamed together. I hate sewing together knitting so would jiggle the projects as much as possible so I could knit in the round. This caveat aside, I still recommend Knitting in the Sun.

This book is a must have for the following reasons: I live on a tropical island. All of the patterns in the book offer size range up to 3X. Any pattern that has a graph offers a web link to print the graph in large bold face for easy reading while knitting. All of the directions are in simple language, and anything unusual about the construction appears in a tip box before the item. There are no surprises, except for the variety of beautiful things that anyone, of any size can knit to wear in a tropical climate.

Knitting in the Sun is a fantastic book for knitters in all climates -- the many layering pieces are wonderful even for the climate here in the midwest, and the patterns are beautiful. What's even better is the ability to print working copies of the charts from the book off its related page at the publisher's website -- first time I've seen that done, and I read a lot of knitting books! Kristi Porter has done a fantastic job of bringing together top designers and patterns for a one of a kind book that belongs in your knitting library.

This is the book we have all been waiting for. Projects we can wear and use for more than six weeks a year. It would be worth having just for the patterns for tanks and short sleeve tops. The patterns are well structured, with lots of design details to improve fit, such as waist and hip shaping, and a vast range of sizes from small to 3X. There are projects here for any figure, and most of them are very usable additions to the wardrobe, such as the Black Sea gored skirt,or the Bridgetown lace cardigan. In addition to tops and skirts, the patterns run the gamut from sun hats to summer sleepwear to even a knitted beach chair! The charts are large and very clear, although my edition is missing a chart for one project. The book gives a Web reference for downloading the chart, but I am puzzled why it was not included. Many of the projects include lace, as might be expected in a book about lightweight knits. There are a number of projects that are well within the reach of a beginning knitter. The technical section is very basic, and could use more illustrations, but as this is not primarily a technique book, I don't consider that a drawback.

This book has some fun and wonderful patterns. There is something in here for everyone who is an advanced beginner or higher.

My favorite patterns were the Windansea Hat, the Anacapy Aran Wrap (though, for the life of me, it did not seem like a summer project), the Bordeaux Lace Shawl, the Cinnamon Bay Beach Bag Blanket (which, after all the time it would take me to knit that I would NEVER EVER NEVER use it for a bag) and the Bridgetown lace-paneled cardigan. The cardigan actually made me salivate and I can't wait to knit it.

As for the blanket-bag, I'd fold it and use it for a shawl - -it's that beautiful. It would be such a waste of time to shlump it all up to use as a beach bag.

This book has many patterns that I'd knit, it's a good resource and the instructions are very clear. For that reason, I rate it a '5'.

I couldn't wait to get this book. My favorite pattern is the Anacapa Wrap, featured on the cover. I also love the Silver Strand Ocean Waves Wrap, the innovative beach bag and the Alishan pullover. Beautifully photographed, the book demonstrates the possibilities when knitting for warm climates.

This charming book was well thought out. It is a lovely compendium of projects for knitters in the warmer zones. From beach accessories to lovely lace shawls, it has more patterns that I will knit than many books with a hundred patterns.
The convenience of printing out knitting charts from the publisher's website is a very thoughtful addition that I wish all would consider.
I loved the beach blanket that converts to a carry bag, what a great idea.
And two cute sun hats! It's rare to find knitted sun hat patterns.

All 32 projects are shown in small photos before the contents page. The designers come from online sources such as Knitty. I like the 3 shawls, the blue lace cardi, the green short sleeved top with lace up center, the green shrug with long sleeves, the Puget Sound brown sweatshirt, Aviara the ruffled surplice top and the beach bag blanket which would make a nice baby blankie if you left off the i-cord. I definitely didn't like the bathing suit which reminds me of 40s style suits or the smocked tube top which has no top above the breast area. Most of the items are not for wearing outside in the strong sunlight and they would be too cold in the ac as well. None of the yarns are given a yarn number so you have to rely on the gauge which isn't always an accurate indicator. Since I have no access to any of these yarns many of which use unusual materials such as hemp with cotton (cover shawl)this is an important factor for me. I am very pleased with the book itself; e.g. good large print, fine charts and schematics. I look forward to more books from Wiley.

Over 30 projects designed to knit and wear in warm weather offers knitters sleeveless tops, short-sleeved and lightweight clothing, and summer light cardigans plus accessories. Patterns offer fun contemporary designs and color photos embellish step-by-step directions in a pick perfect for any knitting library, especially those seeking lighter summer projects.

This book has everything that I have been looking for all in one book. I was glad to see that the projects used many different yarns and not all were just made of cotton but were blends. This book is very well written the patterns are easy to follow.